Chiang Mai downtown now under water: Emergency response in full swing

Troops and volunteers have been mobilised to fill sandbags to strengthen the flood wall as overflows from the swollen Ping River flooded vast areas of downtown Chiang Mai, including the commercial zone on Chang Klan Road, last night.

The water depth in the Ping River at Nawarat Bridge was measured at 4.45 meters at 6 am today.

Dusit Pongsapipat, the chief of the Office for Public Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, meanwhile dismissed a widespread rumor that the flood wall at Ban Ko Klang in the Pa Daet sub-district had completely failed.

He did mention, however, that sandbags installed by villagers to form an embankment to protect their village had crumbled, adding that more sandbags have been sent to reinforce the embankment.

Governor Nirat Pongsitthithavorn has had mobile units surveying water levels in the Ping River at various locations, especially low-lying areas, since last night, as part of their close coordination with the Royal Department of Irrigation.

Numerous cars parked on Chang Klan Road are submerged, but the road remains passable for larger vehicles; smaller ones are advised to avoid the area.

Calls for help, especially from families with bed-ridden relatives, began to be received by the provincial command center last night.

The ongoing flooding in Chiang Mai has been attributed to the recent Soulik storm and a low-pressure cell, which have brought widespread heavy rain to the area since last Saturday, according to the provincial office of the Royal Irrigation Department.

The office warned that the water level in the Ping River will stabilize for a short period before rising again due to the arrival of runoff from the Taeng and Ping river basins in Chiang Dao District, which were lashed by torrential rain last night.